1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multicast call processing unit for telecommunications devices, and more particularly the establishment of a multicast phone call that is triggered by a request from a telecommunications device to an exchange for the establishment of a communication link.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems are available in the market which allow more than two people to listen, or to talk and listen, to each other simultaneously over communication links. Examples of such systems are audio bridging, parallel ringing, telephone line tapping systems. Audio bridging systems require a group of people to dial a special number. In parallel ringing systems, the authenticity of a person listening to a conversation is not guaranteed.
Typically, when a telecommunications device is used for communication, a particular number is dialed and a communication link is established between the calling phone and a recipient phone associated with a dialed number. If a person desires to talk to more than one individual, then the person has to call each individual using a separate phone call, employing a unique phone number for each individual. Alternately, all the individuals dial into a conference bridge using the same phone number, and they all talk to each other and listen to each other. This requires each individual to be able to dial in, and they need to be given the common bridging number, perhaps even a conference identification number, requiring a significant level of coordination and logistics.